Baby Names (Creative & Uncommon Names)

baby girl Elliot

my DH and I are pregnant with our first (due in January) and will be finding out gender next week. we are already settled on names and if it's a girl we have decided to go with Elliot.

as a disclaimer, I know this is an unpopular name among many and I am aware that I can achieve nn Ellie or Elle with more traditional "feminine" name but dh and I like Elliot.

my question is, a family member (who isn't exactly on board with the name) did some research and suggest we spell the name Elliotte (it's the French spelling) because on paper it will look "more female." to me it seems like I threw on the "te" to make it more feminine looking since I don't believe this spelling is very popular in the US. however, its sparked an interest in my DH who wants to consider this alternative spelling. What do you ladies think?

I'm not sure your family member is correct. I've seen Eliette (there's a famous French writer with that name), but never Elliotte. And I wouldn't pronounce the two the same either. That said, I'm in the camp that dislikes Elliott on a girl - to me it's a name that will always be dated back to a TV show where the character explains that her Dad gave her that name because he wanted a son.

I kinda like the spelling your family member suggested although the normal spelling is fine too. I know a baby girl and a 10 year old girl named Elliott. No one really bats an eyelash at a boys name on a girl these days so I wouldnt be too concerned. Hopefully by the time our babies are sending in resumes etc. The world will have realized that gender assumptions and a name on paper don't make a difference n a persons abilities etc.

I like the Eliette suggestion! I think that looks a little more girlie. I named my daughter who was born in April, Arlow Louise. We purposely added the W to appear more girlie and more in line with Harlow so she at least had a fighting chance of looking like a girl on paper! My biggest suggestion when using a very male dominated name for a girl is to make sure her middle name is super girlie. So she has the option of signing emails/resumes with both names to make it more obvious it's a girl.

Stick with Elliot. Beautiful name. Spelling conveys how you want the name to sound and feel. And changing the spelling to a quite feminine Elliotte changes the feeling from a Unisex strong female name to a French sounding girl name. Stick with what you want! I think it's great. We are thinking hunter for our baby if it's a girl :)

I like eliette! I'd pronounce it Elly-ET instead of like Elliot. Really similar still but with the feminine ette on the end having the emphasis. I actually don't mind Elliot for a girl, either, although I also love Sawyer for a girl and can't quite bring myself to do a unisex name.

I think Elliot or Elliott are both great and common spellings for the name. I think your family member's proposed spelling will just create spelling/pronunciation problems for your child if they are going to grow up here in the States. It is annoying to have to constantly correct other people, who are attempting to read or write your name.

I appreciate everyone's thoughtful opinions and critiques. I know it's not a typical "girl name" but one we really like. one word of (unasked for) advice- don't ask questions on babycenter. they can just be me ??

We just named our girl Elliott. We chose the spelling hoping that it is the most common way to be spelled so she wouldn't have to correct it for people. I'm glad we chose this spelling because it is how everyone has assumed her name is spelled. Also, some people have assumed it is a boys name so it's nice (in my opinion) to only have to correct the gender and not the spelling also. I think with the alternate spelling people may not assume she is a boy but they may not know how to pronounce it. I am a girl with a traditional male name and I was always glad my parents did not use a different spelling to clarify it's a girl's name. I felt it would make things more confusing not less confusing.

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